If my life is motivated by an ambition to leave a legacy, what I would probably leave is a legacy of ambition. But, if my life is motivated by the power of God’s spirit in me and the awareness of the indwelling Christ, if I allow His presence to guide my motives, that’s the only time I think we really leave a great legacy.
-Rich Mullins
This is my favorite quote of mine is a unique way to sum up Deuteronomy. What will your legacy be built upon? What is your motivation in life? Why do you do what you do? These and many more questions are answered within Deuteronomy.
The story of the people of Israel is summarized in Deuteronomy in a final speech given by Moses before his death and the peoples entry into the promised land. The statutes and laws repeated in the book are the necessities that the people of needed to live. The Israelites needed to remember who God was, how they disobeyed Him, and His proven faithfulness throughout their History spanning from Egypt through the wilderness as they entered into the promised land where their dependance on God was necessary to their survival.
Moses also reminded the people to not forget God by heeding the statutes and commands that He gave them. It was crucial that the generations who directly saw God’s signs and wonders emphasized the importance of following God to the following generations. The question I was challenged with as I read through Deuteronomy was how will I impart and emphasize my faith to the generations that will come after me. It is a question of my legacy and what I leave behind. All the laws and commands seen throughout Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy can be summed up as Jesus Christ said by loving God and loving people. In the commands to love God with all my heart, mind, soul, and strength and to love my neighbor as myself the question of how a legacy is imparted is answered. As I strive to love God and love people I will impart my faith to those around me and to the generations to come.
My reading through Deuteronomy was surprisingly enjoyable. I had the same preconceived notion that the books containing the law were boring. You would think that I would have learned that lesson from my reading of Leviticus and Numbers but it keeps presenting itself as a surprise. I am thankful that God gave me the dedication to read through Deuteronomy at a consistent pace that allowed me to reflect upon the meaning of the text. I was encouraged by the consistent foreshadowing of Jesus Christ that is glimpsed in the Old Testament. It is important not to forget that my hope and future rest in Jesus Christ alone.
